Not Just Another Naruto Story
by bloodline
Summary: Three years has passed since Jiraiya took Naruto to train him... now, our hero returns to his beloved village...
1. Chapter 1

"NOT JUST ANOTHER NARUTO STORY"

by bloodline41

rated M (just to be safe)

Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Comedy, Romance, Hentai

I do not own NARUTO and ANY of its characters, places, and any other such thing. This is just purely for the enjoyment of the fans.

No Money is being made out of this.

notes: Hello. Just take note that this is my first fic so if there's any mistakes, please inform me so I wont repeat it twice. Also I am not that good in English and I certainly don't know Japanese. Please take note on my use of the suffixes dono, sama, kun, and chan and tell me if I used them correctly. So… enjoy

Prologue: After Naruto recovered from his fight with Sasuke on the waterfall, Jiraiya told him the he was taking him to train all over other countries and only gave him a day to prepare. Naruto took that chance to say good bye to a sad and disappointed looking Sakura and Tsunade. Hinata was able to hear the rumors that Naruto was going on a trip and decided to give him a parting gift, a whole lot of cupped instant ramen, which she actually gave him herself along with a quick kiss on his cheek before running off to somewhere with a few tears in her eyes she was fighting back. Naruto just stood there shocked at Hinata's actions. Thinking that just was a friendly good bye and good luck kiss, he just threw his thoughts away about it and followed Jiraiya out of the gates of Konoha. With a last look on his beloved village, he adjusted his back pack. "OK!!! LETS GO ERO-SENNIN!!!"

Chapter I: Return to the Leaf

It had been almost three years since Naruto left Konoha with Jiraiya for his special and highly dangerous training. Through out this years, Naruto have changed in many aspects most obviously on his physical side. His hair had grown long which greatly resembled Jiraiya's. His face had a mature look on it now but there's still a boyish look on it. Even the whisker like lines on his cheeks was still there. His eyes where still the same but it now gave an impression of great power. His body, after almost three years of training, was now lean and built to perfection in a vision of a perfect Ninja. Having grown a lot in just a few years, Naruto was forced to replace his trade mark orange jacket and pants with a black long sleeved shirt with its left sleeve missing exposing his well toned arm up to his shoulders (Inspired by the one worn by Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and hey… they kind of resemble each other right?) and with the red spiral Konoha symbol on its back, and black pants all made from some durable material designed for ninjas. For some reason, his left fore arm was wrapped bandages ending with a black metal plated glove in his left hand. His kunai and bomb holster was still there. He also added two more shuriken holster which he strapped around his left thigh along with his old one. The only thing really new he carried was a dagger that looks like the small version of the one being used by Gamabunta which he kept sheathed on a lose belt that hung diagonally on his waist.

Naruto's looks might have changed a lot but it was nothing compared to his strength and skills. His travels with Jiraiya gave him gave him plenty of opportunities to encounter different techniques used by other shinobi. Even though he hasn't got the mind of a genius and even patience in learning most of it, he has managed to master almost all of the advanced taijutsu techniques and a lot high level ninjutsus. Well, he had a knack for learning harder techniques anyway. Naruto was also a master now with the Rasengan which he can now use easily. With he's strength, Naruto often found himself sparring with Jiraiya and winning most of the times making the legendary pervert both humiliated and proud at the same time.

Even though a lot has changed with Naruto, he was still the energetic, hot headed, confident, brave, Ramen-crazy, young Shinobi of Konoha.

It was almost noon when the Naruto and Jiraiya reached the outskirts of Konoha. "Ha! Were almost home kid." Jiraiya said as he clapped Narutos shoulder which the young shinobi shrugged off hotly. "Damn it ero-sennin! Why cant I just go ahead huh? I want to see everybody already! And I can already hear the Ramen calling me!"

"Because…" smacking Narutos head " You need to go straight to the Hokage to report!"

"HEY!!! That's your Job!" smacking back "You just want me to do that so you can head straight to the women's baths!"

"You BRAT!!!" Jiraiya said as he grabbed the giant scroll on his back and pounded Naruto with it ending with a POOF and some smoke as it made contact. "Brat…." Was all that he said smiling as he watched the real Naruto running at a distance ahead of him. "Those hot young girls in the baths will just have to wait then" he thought with a sigh as he continued his way.

Naruto smiled when he thought of how long it has been since he saw Konoha as he passed its gates. Looking again at his beloved village, Naruto thought nothing has changed much. Dark days have come and gone and Konoha was still there, its people working hard together protecting it. Yes, he was finally home.

He walked down the main street trying to decide which to go first when he felt that most people he passed stared at him. Even some people on the stores and people looking out their window stared at him when they saw him. Naruto looked down with a sad smile on his face as he continued to walk. "yeah… im definitely home…" he thought. He almost forgot about how most people here was either scared at hit or hated him for having the Nine Tailed Demon Fox Kyuubi sealed in him.

Naruto, however, was unaware of the fact that almost all of the people staring at him were girls, and women too for that matter, who was all thinking the same thing… "He's so hot!"

"Who is he?"

"He's so cute!"

"Might be from the Yamanaka Clan with that blond hair and blue eyes"

"Do I look ok?"

A group of girls whispered to each other as Naruto passed them. Completely oblivious around him , Naruto Decided to see his former teammate and crush, Sakura, and his two sensei, Kakashi and Iruka when the ever so powerful scent of "RAMEN!!!!" hit him. Surrendering to his senses, Naruto let his body drift to its source, the Ichiraku Ramen. Regaining his composure, Naruto excitedly took his usual seat in the diner and looked inside finding both the owner and his Daughter Ayame busy preparing the meals.

"Hey pops! The usual please! And keep em' coming! I'm starving!" Naruto said excitedly, startling both the owner and his daughter.

"Ha Ha! If it isn't my favorite costumer!" the owner said with the biggest smile on his face as he saw that unmistakable spiky blond hair and blue eyes and partnered with the look of a 3-year-old about to be served his favorite food. "I haven't seen you in quite some time kid! Business was not the same without you! Ho ho! I'm glad your back!"

"Yeah! Me too old man! I really missed you! Well, not as much as I missed your ramen though…"

Laughing at the boy's statement, the owner began to prepare his order. "Nothing changed.." he thought. "Naruto Special coming right up!" he called with enthusiasm.

"Hey." Naruto greeted Ayame as his attention drifted to her. "I haven't seen you since ive last eaten here. You look great!"

"Wow… is he really Naruto? How did he get so…. Hot? Is it really him?" was just some of the things that Ayame was thinking before she realized that Naruto was waving his hands in front of her.

"Are you ok? You seem kinda dazed." Naruto asked with a concerned look on his face earning him a blush from the pretty young woman.

"Oh! Yeah… I'm… I'm fine. I just thought of something. Sorry for worrying you, N-Naruto-kun…" Ayame said blushing, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

"Hey Ayame, help me here and serve our best costumer there his order" the owner said after he finished cooking the ramen. Ayame however wasn't so enthusiastic about pulling sight away from that gorgeous shinobi even for just a couple of seconds just to get him his order. "Um… I'll be right back Naruto-kun…! She called as she went quickly to his father and grabbed the ramen he was holding and going back just as fast to where Naruto was. Setting his order on the table in front of him, Ayame grabbed a chair placed it directly in front of Naruto.

"Um, Naruto-kun? Do you mind if I sit here for awhile?" She asked.

"Nah. I don't mind." Naruto answered already eyeing the bowl in front of him with chopsticks in his hands. As Naruto began eating, Ayame noticed that he outgrown his habit of ramming almost all of the ramen in his bowl down his throat the minute it was served to him. Well, he's still not a perfect gentleman and he still has a lot to learn about table manners, but there was a definite change in the way he ate that people who didn't knew him wont think that he'll choke to death or something.

"Are you sure your alright?" Naruto asked the girl in front of him. "your acting all weird and stuff" after swallowing the rest of his food.

"I'm fine Naruto-kun. Just fine" Ayame said smiling at him.

"Well, if you say so…" he said as he stood up. "Hey old man! Thanks for the ramen!" leaving some money on the table, he walked away.

"Ok… now that's weird… he only ate a bowl! I thought he'll eat my whole store! Well, things might have changed" the owner thought as he and a disappointed looking Ayame watched Naruto disappear in a corner. But even before the owner turned around, Naruto was running back, much to Ayame's delight.

"Hey pops! Just keep it hot ok? I'll be back in about an hour." He said as he reached the diner. "And I might bring some friends here too…" he added. Turning again to leave, "See you both later!".

Jiraiya knocked at the Hokage's office doors a couple of moments later, he was answered, to his surprise, by a very serious looking pink haired girl. "Oh! Jiraiya-sama! " Sakura said, her expression changing in mild surprise. "Welcome back! The Hokage has been expecting you." She added as she stepped aside to let Jiraiya in. as he stepped inside the office, the sannin understood why Sakura Had looked so serious. There he saw Tsunade, sitting behind her desk reading a scroll. Behind her stood Shizune. And there, standing in front of the Hokage were two shinobi which looks to be from the sand judging by the forehead protector one was wearing. This one was carrying something wrapped in bandages, with hair sprouting on top, on his back. And the other one… he knew. Naruto described him on one of their journeys. And the charka radiating from him was a dead give away. "Gaara of the sand…" the sannin thought.

"I will take your request in consideration. What your asking is a really serious matter which might take sometime to decide. In the meantime, you are permitted to stay here in Konoha until a decision has been made." Tsunade said, her eyes still on the scroll.

"I hope that it wont take much time, Hokage-sama… the sooner the decision, the sooner our people might live in peace." Bowing, Kankuro turned to leave. Seeing Jiraiya, Kankuro stopped in his tracks. "White hair, weird forehead protector, large scroll… HOLY SHIT!". Gathering his composure, Kankuro continued to walk. Reaching Jiraiya, he gave him a quick nod as an acknowledgement with an audible "Jiraiya-sama" before he left. "Two sannin in a day! I thought I m dead! This is all Temari's fault! This was suppose to be her job! Who does she want to see anyway!?" he sighed angrily.

Gaara however left in an all throughout different manner. He just turned his back at the Hokage and reaching the door, after passing Jiraiya without even looking at him. Then he stopped. "Is that loud, yellow haired kid here…?" he asked in a monotone voice .

"Yes. He's here." Answered Jiraiya.

"And the Taijutsu specialist…?" he asked again turning his head slightly.

"Why?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"Non… of your business…"

Tsunade considered him for a moment before answering. "He's also here."

Gaara stepped out of the office. "Thank…. You" he said before closing the door behind which surprised everyone.

"And there I was thinking he was some kind of twisted, cold blooded killer!" Jiraiya mused.

"And he was! He still gives me the creeps when I see him." Sakura said making his way to the desk in the corner.

Jiraiya then went to sit on the chair in front of the Hokage's desk.

"And the pervert returns…" Tsunade said with a smile on her face.

"Its good to be back, Flat-chested old woman." Jiraiya said back with a smile too on his face. Laughing, he nodded to Shizune as a greeting before turning his attention to Sakura. She kept her hair short and she has grown… a lot too he noticed. "I actually didn't expect to see you here Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled. "Well, after you left with Naruto, I noticed that I was the only one without a proper trainer because Kakashi-sensei was always on a mission so I asked, well begged actually, Tsunade-sama to train me. It took a lot of convincing and a lot of help from Shizune for her to accept. And ,well, finally I proved myself capable and she accepted." Sakura said enthusiastically. "and ive been training with her and Shizune-dono ever since… provided I and Shizune-dono split Tsunade-sama's paper work among us two…" she added.

"Ha Ha! Typical Lazy-Ass Woman!" Jiraiya Laughed.

"Who the HELL are you to talk!" the woman shouted. "You're the one who left Naruto do most of his training by himself while you just hang around brothels with prostitutes!" that was all it took to shut up Jiraiya making it Tsunade's turn to laugh. "Ha ha… Which reminds me… Where is Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah? Where is he anyway?" asked an excited looking Sakura.

"Er…. I don't know exactly…" Jiraiya said scratching his chin. "Well, I think he said something about ramen. Must be that ramen diner at the village."

"I think I'll go look for him." Sakura said as she stood up and left.

Jiraiya, now serious, turned to Tsunade. "What are the Sand Nin doing here?"

Chapter 2: Reunion will mostly tell about the reunion of Konoha's Rookie Nine (except for Sasuke) along with Hyuuga Neji's team and Gaara's team. Some pairings will be revealed and the request of the sand ninjas will be told.


	2. Chapter 2: Reunion

"NOT JUST ANOTHER NARUTO STORY"

by bloodline41

rated Y (just to be safe)

Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Comedy, Romance, Hentai

I do not own NARUTO and ANY of its characters, places, and any other such thing. This is just purely for the enjoyment of the fans.

No Money is being made out of this.

Notes: So here's the next chapter. Thanks for the review by the way. And please keep em' coming. It'll make me write faster. Chapter 3 and four are already done but I wont post it yet. Chap for still needs a little more editing though…

Chapter 2: Reunion

Naruto was walking down the main street of Konoha. He decided that he would see Sakura first so he headed for the Haruno residence. "I hope Sakura-chan will be surprised to see me." he thought as he reached the doors of her house. After knocking, Naruto stepped back with a smile on his face waiting for Sakura to open the door. A moment later, a pink haired, middle aged woman answered the door. "Yes? Can I help you?" Sakura's mother asked.

"um… Is Sakura-chan there?" he asked as he smiled boyishly at her.

"Sorry but Sakura-chan isn't here and I'm not sure where she is either. Sorry." The older Haruno said, making Naruto a little disappointed. Admiring the boy in front of her., she noticed something familiar. "Have I seen you before?"

"um,, yeah! Its me, Naruto!" the blond said proudly.

"Naruto? Wow.. three years really changed him.. a lot!" the woman thought. "This will give a slight shock to my daughter!".

"Well… sorry for disturbing your Haruno-san. I'll just go look for her! Thanks!" Naruto said as he leapt to the roofs.

Tsunade handed the scroll she was holding to Jiraiya. "That was from the head Jounin of the sand." She added as Jiraiya opened the scroll and began to read.

A smile started to appear on the his face which greatly confused the Hokage. "This is really serious Jiraiya. There is nothing funny about this."

"Don't worry." He answered, still smiling. "I think Konoha can Handle it. Besides, Naruto's here."

"But he's half the reason I don't want to accept this." The Hokage said worriedly. The request of the sand is simple and if successful, the relation of the two villages will blossom resulting to economic and military boost (very technical please don't ask). But the Hokage was still doubting if Konoha was ready. The request was that to give Gaara, the Shukaku's carrier, the permission to stay in Konoha. Having one great demon sealed in him, Gaara was constantly attacked by the Akatsuki. Because of this, the Hidden Village of Sand was experiencing a great deal of loss as war after war razed their village. At this time, the sand cant afford the loss of anymore high ranking Ninjas for they will be defensless if a neighboring country decides to invade. Not only that, but without high ranking Shinobi, the sand wont be able to take high ranked missions which they will get the funds needed to rebuild their force. And that was the exact reason why Tsunade doesn't want to keep another Demon carrier. She was unsure that Konoha can hold the Akatsuki at bay. And with both Naruto and Gaara in the same village, this will certainly give the Akatsuki greater initiative to strike at full force. Given the fact that their number was far less than even a small army, the Akatsuki's skill makes up for it.

"You worry to much… and Naruto isn't the same as before. I think if he used all his power now, even you might lose." He said seriously. "And I don't think Akatsuki will be attacking at full force anytime soon." He added, leaning back on his chair. "Naruto made sure of that. The reason we were delayed was because we, I mean Naruto met some Akatsuki members when I left him when I gathered some data I needed. (cough). And when I got back, the place was trashed and Naruto sitting on the ground looking really smug about something, along with three tied up bodies." The sannin recounted for the Hokage. "And it turned out that those three were along the high ranking members of the Akatsuki. Well, after that, we just dropped them off to the villages they belonged to which made us pretty rich!" he said happily, patting the large pouch on his belt.

As Jiraiya said that Naruto defeated three Akatsuki members single-handedly, both Shizune and the Hokage stared at him awe. If they hadn't seen Naruto do some remarkable things three years ago, they would have said that that was impossible. But three Akatsuki members single-handedly? That's was just incredible.

Suddenly, Jiraiya turned serious. "The only thing that bothers me is Itachi with his Mangekyou Sharingan and their leader. And if Itachi decides to come here, Sasuke will certainly follow, no doubt, together with Orochimaru. However, if we want to retrieve Sasuke, this will be the closest chance we could get."

"I don't know…" the Hokage said uncertainly. "I don't think we can handle both Orochimaru and the Akatsuki at the same time… but if Naruto is as strong as you say he is…"

"Naruto… is stronger, more than I can say… If you doubt it, see for yourself…"

It was common to find Hinata along with her teammates inside the Hyuuga Dojo this time of day when they were not assigned to missions. Falling to the floor, Hinata lay there exhausted after sparring and losing to Kiba.

"Damn Hinata! Your getting stronger…" Kiba said panting, leaning against the wall as Shino helped Hinata to stand up.

"Thanks… but not strong enough…" she said standing up.

"NOT STRONG ENOUGH!?! You nearly finished me off there! I was just lucky I knew your moves." He said making Hinata blush. Kiba and Shino often cheered Hinata up in their training sessions though Shino did it with gestures rather than voicing it out like Kiba. They knew how hard she was training for the past years keeping up with both of them and being the youngest of the three, they considered her to be their younger sister.

"One more time!" Hinata said after a quick rest, already in her Jyuken stance.

Looking really exhausted, Kiba stood up and called Akamaru, now a fully grown ninja dog. "Fine, but I'm using Akamaru this time."

"... Begin" Shino said a moment later. He usually acted as the referee due to the fact that both Hinata and Kiba wasn't keen on having bugs and other insects attacking them even if it was just a sparring session.

With that, Hinata Activated her Byakugan and waited for Kiba to move. With a few hand seals, Kiba performed the Juujin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone) as Akamru jumped on his back, turning to his masters appearance. Both of them then launched themselves forward to the waiting Hyuuga girl. "Gatsuuga!". At that precise moment of contact, Hinata released charka around her body and concentrated a certain amount of it on here feet making her spin in her place "Hakkeshou: Kaiten!" As Kiba and Akamaru collided with the spinning wall of charka, both of them was thrown back a few feet away. Kiba quickly regained his senses though Akamaru was clearly knocked out. But even before he was prepared, Hinata was in front of him, in her Jyuken stance. It was so fast that he wasn't able to react as Hinata delivered sixty-four hits all over his tenketsu points. Seeing Hinata execute the Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou, Shino quickly ended the match.

"S-sorry Kiba! I g-got carried away!" Hinata said as she helped Kiba get up.

"Ha ha… I told you (ouch) that you were getting good, but, um (ouch), I think you should work more on that (ouch) technique." He said as he got on his feet. "I can still circulate enough charka to fight."

"I… I think… I'll just drop it… if I continue to practice it on you, you might get seriously injured.". She was both disappointed, because she wasn't able to perfect that technique, and thankful that she haven't sent Kiba to the hospital.

"Nah…. Don't you worry. I can handle it." Kiba said proudly. "You almost got it. Just a little more practice I think." He added as he walked up to the unconscious Akamaru and gave him a little pat to wake him up. "One more try?" he asked Hinata.

But before Hinata can answer, Shino spoke up. "… that's enough for today… don't exhaust your chakra to much."

"Um.. ok." Hinata said.

"Yeah.. whatever…." Kiba followed.

They sat there and rested for a couple of minutes before heading outside the dojo. They usually ate something after their training sessions and that some thing is ramen most of the time. Hinata knew that Naruto loved ramen and it reminded her of him so she eats at the Ichiraku as often as she can. Her teammates however wasn't as enthusiastic about ramen but having no other choice because Hinata will only eat there most of the time, they grew accustomed to it. And so, after a quick cleanup, they headed for the Ichiraku for some ramen.

"I still cant believe I lost to him!" the blond carrying a big fan on her back thought angrily to herself. "I know Kankuro is pissed of about me leaving him to deal with the Hokage… but… ARGH!!! Where the fuck is that Lazy, good for nothing excuse for a Ninja!" Temari was now on the training grounds of Konoha in her search for the Lazy, good for nothing excuse for a Ninja as she called him. There she found who she was looking for. Laying on the grass with his hand behind his head, staring at the clouds was the newly appointed Jounin, Nara Shikimaru. "Lazy ass bum!" she thought as she quickly but silently made her way towards him. When she was just a few feet away from him, a certain movement she caught in the corner if her eye made her jump away from her position.

"Damn! I didn't expect that!" Temari thought as she regained her composure. Quickly pulling out her fan in a defensive position she looked for the thing she saw that moved. "Must be his shadow."

"Why do I always have to fight troublesome women…" Shikimaru sighed which greatly irritated Temari. "What do you want now?" he asked lazily, still laying there on his back, eyes on the clouds."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I WANT!" Temari shouted, obviously insulted that he wasn't even looking at her. "I want a rematch!"

Standing up "Geez… How troublesome..." he thought. Shikimaru yawned and stretched his arms. "Fine…"

"Good…" Temari quickly opened her fan to its fullest and quickly analyzed her surrounding. She doesn't want to lose again especially to him. After her quick but thorough analysis, she looked at him, ready to start.

"Fine…" Shikimaru said again, walking straight towards her. "I (yawn) give up. Its way too troublesome to fight you…. So I give up." Placing both his hands on his side pockets, he walked passed making her reach the limits of her temper. Gathering all the chakra and strength she can, she began lift her giant fan in preparation for her attack. But even before she got to execute the move, she was unable to move.

Shikimaru turned around making her turn as well. "Why are you women so troublesome?" Shikimaru asked. "Can you just leave me in peace?"

"If you don't finish this fight now, I wont stop until I tear you limb from limb!" she shouted nervously for she was defenseless. Her back was completely exposed to him with no way to know what he will do, let alone avoid it. Gathering her courage, "And don't you dare give up!" she said.

Unknown to her, Shikimaru wasn't listening to her for the past minute. He was so absorbed at what he was seeing in front of him. He saw how much skin Temari was showing with that overly short dress she wears. And that mesh netting was just making things worse, for it made her more sexy in his opinion. He was not a pervert and all but that sight made that not-so-lazy side of him wake up. Shaking his head to snap out of that oh so wonderful sight, "How troublesome" he said as he released her shadow. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." he said as he started to walk away again, completely ignoring what she had just said.

By now Temari was really frustrated and her temper was way past its breaking point. She wanted to fight Shikimaru again so badly that she doesn't even know why. Her feelings toward him were undeniable. She hated everything about him, from his lazy attitude to the fact that his intelligence outmatches hers. She doesn't consider herself that strong, but she really prized her intelligence. And that damn Lazy, good for nothing excuse for a ninja just made her look like and idiot. But the real reason she wanted to fight him again was that she wanted to experience that adrenaline rush. She wont admit it, but Shikimaru is the only one capable of bringing that to her.

Thinking that she wasn't going to try anything, Shikimaru let his guard down and continued to walk, thinking about the great curves he had seen. "I knew that that girl was trouble from the beginning. damn… how troublesome." He thought as the girl behind him tackled him to the ground. "Shit… now what?" he thought calmly as he hit the ground, face first, and pinned by Temari with both hands behind his back.

"Why the HELL wont you fight!" she shouted as she pinned him down.

" sigh' Coz its way to troublesome….." he answered with his face on the ground.

It was the first time Shikimaru heard her laugh.

"ha…. You really wont fight me, wont you?" she said defeated. But a malicious smile spread across her face. "But I think a little payback wont hurt… much." She didn't know what came over her to say that but having the strategic master of Konoha at her mercy went straight to her head… as well as other parts of her body. She was getting really hot by now. She shifted a little to make herself comfortable as she straddled his back, but taking that chance, Shikimaru twisted around, freed both his hands and grabbed hers in the process as he pinned her down on her back, hands above her head. Shikimaru was now looking serious and Temari was to shocked to even move. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, both staring at each other until they heard a movement near them which mad them both stand up looking for whoever it was.

Chouji was standing there eating his chips in the way he did when he watched Shikimaru fight in the chunnin exam finals.

"how troublesome" he sighed. "This is not what you think Chouji, and what the hell are you DOING HERE?!?"

Looking really disappointed that the show was cancelled, "Ino asked me to get you. She wants us to help her at something." He said with mouthful of chips.

"I… I'll be going now." Temari said awkwardly as she left with a puff of smoke but not before Choji had seen that she was blushing like there's no tomorrow.

"I think the Lazy ass wont be so lazy now…" Chouji thought as he looked at a very awkward looking Shikimaru with a smirk.

"Geez… how troublesome." He sighed as they headed to Ino's.

Sakura was excited to see Naruto again, but not as excited if it was Sasuke. She still believes that he'll come back, and she was also hoping he would come back on his own. She was headed for Ichiraku Ramen stand hoping that Naruto was still there. Well, knowing him, he'd still be there from now till sunset, if he hasn't changed, that is. Preferring to walk rather than use the roofs, she took the street she knew to be the fastest way to the ramen stand. After a couple of minutes, she saw Shikimaru and Chouji further down the street carrying huge baskets of flowers. "Hey guys!" she greeted as she reached the newly appointed Jounin and Chouji, a chunnin. "Ino-pig making you do all the work?" she added with a smirk as she accompanied them towards the flower shop.

"Yeah…" was all that Shikimaru was able to say as they reached the Yamanaka flower shop, with Ino waiting for them.

"Oh… Hi Forehead girl!" Ino greeted her. "Just put it there Shikimaru. Chouji, there over the counter." she directed her two teammates.

"Your looking cheerful today, Ino-pig." She teased. Even though Sasuke wasn't there, they still loved to fight and compete with each other.

"Well if you must know, Forehead girl, there's a rumor that a hot shinobi is running around town." She said, her eyes sparkling. Ino, though always fighting with Sakura, did everything she could to make her best friend move on. Sasuke just wasn't worth it. Leaving Konoha and by betraying them was enough for Ino to change her views about her gorgeous Uchiha, but what really changed the way he saw him was the rumor that he tried to kill the one everyone believed to be his closest friend and rival, Naruto, when he tried to bring him back.

"Really?" Sakura said, feigning excitement, but failing at it miserably in Ino's opinion.

"If you two are just gonna talk about some guy, then can we go now?" Shikimaru asked irritated. He was irritated for some time now. Actually, his bad mood started after finding out that the reason Ino called him was just to help her pick up some flowers. "How troublesome…"

Chouji however wasn't complaining. Ino had successfully bribed him with just two bags of chips. And by the way he looks, you'd think he couldn't be happier.

Completely ignoring Shikimaru, Ino continued. "Yeah, but I don't know who he is though." She said

"Well… ok… um… sorry but I have to go now. I'm actually looking for someone." Sakura said.

Hearing this, Ino looked suspiciously at the pink haired girl in front of her. "I think I'll come with you… I want to meet this new boyfriend of yours". She teased.

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND" Sakura answered hotly. "For your information, I'm looking for Naruto. Jiraiya-sama was at the Hokage's office right now and he said that Naruto might be at the ramen stand where he usually was. And I'm headed there right now."

"Naruto's back! Now I'm really excited!" the blond said as she pulled Sakura out the of the shop. Naruto was their friend after all, and being away for three years made them realize that life in Konoha wasn't the same without their loud, cocky, and clumsy friend.

Chouji followed the two out saying something about he wanted to eat ramen. Shikimaru was used to Chouji speaking with his mouth full of food that he understood what he said. "…no point staying here… might as well go see what Naruto has been doing." Shikimaru said with a sigh as he followed the three outside, his hands on his pocket.

"Hey! Its Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee pointed as he saw the trademark pink Haruno hair down the streets. As usual, their team was at the balcony which was always their meeting place. Neji, now also a Jounin, was there along with Ten-ten. "I will go down there and make sure Sakura-chan gets to where she's going safely!" Fuzzy eyebrows stated in his good guy pose before jumping down the balcony making Ten-ten smack her forehead in an embarrassed sort of way.

"He has seriously got to stop doing that!" Ten-ten said. "I admit that Gai-sensei is great, but Konoha doesn't really need another Shinobi in green spandex" she added disgustedly which made Neji smile a little.

Although still cold to others, especially to most of the Hyuuga main house, Neji has changed considerably. He's not as arrogant as before though that will never be completely gone, for sure. His fate obsession was also gone, beaten out of him by Naruto on the Chunnin exam finals. The conversation he had with Hyuuga Hiashi did something not only to him, but the whole Hyuuga clan as well. The Hyuuga clan had been undergoing a change in their ways for the past three years. The practice of Hyuuga Bunke Juinjutsu was abolished even with the objections of some head members. The ones with the seal however, cant have them removed for the only way to do that is death. And because of that, Hiashi was doing everything in his power to stop the head family members trying to torture and kill those surviving with the seal. As of now, things are going stable and if continues, both the branch family and head family can coexist harmoniously.

"Do you think we should follow him incase we need to save him from embarrassing himself in front of Sakura?" Ten-ten asked the Hyuuga prodigy.

"yeah… I don't want my time sparring with him come to waste if he decides to kill himself from the possible humiliation he might do." He said before he smiled, making Ten-ten smile even brighter. She always thought that he was great, smart, and handsome but she haven't dared to tell him anything. She knew he wasn't the Neji that didn't care about anyone anymore. On the contrary, she was the only one in Konoha that has noticed every single change in him. She knew him as well as she knew her weapons… It was because that she valued his company more than anything that she didn't want to be the cause of a gap that may possibly be the result of saying anything about that subject.

Trying not to think about it anymore, she followed Neji down the balcony where Lee jumped off.

"ah… Do we really have to eat here again?" Kiba complained with Akamru walking at his side.

"um… sorry to drag you both here again… but I really like it there." Hinata apologized.

"I was just asking!" Kiba said quickly. "We like it there too, right Shino?" he added looking dangerously at Shino.

"…sure." Was just Shino said but never the less, it made the Hyuuga smile.

As they reached the ramen stand, the owner quickly recognized them and prepared them their usual order, when four more customers arrived. "wow… today's my lucky day! Must be because Naruto's back… yeah.. he's definitely my lucky customer!" the owner thought happily preparing more meals. "I hope Naruto wont mind if I served some of his reserved ramen. Ill just make it up to him!"

"Kiba? Hinata? Shino?" Sakura said dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?" she said as she, Ino, Shikimaru, and Chouji arrived.

"EATING! What do you think we'll do in a ramen stand!" Kiba said sarcastically that irritated Sakura and Ino immediately.

"WHY YOU SMELLY…." Sakura and Ino started on Kiba but before they can reach him a voice called out.

"Sakura-chan!" Lee shouted with glee as he rushed past everyone towards Sakura. "er.. Hi! Are you hungry? Have you ordered yet?" Lee asked as he held one of her hands with both of his without Sakura even noticing what happened. He's not considered one of the fastest in Konoha for nothing.

Neji and Ten-ten was the next to arrive. As Neji stepped in, an awkward silence followed as everyone present looked at him then to Hinata.

"um… He-hello Ne-Neji…" Hinata said, said breaking the silence. She stood up and faced Neji and bowed a couple of inches.

"…You don't need to do that." He said in a cold voice but everyone noticed a touch of kindness in his tone. He walked passed her and sat on a vacant chair.

"Just like old times… but not quite…. How troublesome…" Shikimaru thought as he seated himself beside Chouji who was already eating his order of ramen.

But even before they can recover from the Hinata and Neji scene, they all felt that familiar chakra near them. In an instant, all of them were on guard. Hinata and Neji in their Jyuken stance, Sakura and Ino was each holding a kunai while they gathered chakra instinctively, Ten-ten had both her hands ready on her shuriken holsters, Kiba was on all fours with Akamaru, Chouji was already starting to swell., and Shikimaru was already formulating strategies in his mind. Clearly, they were still scared by the Sand Nin Gaara which was standing a few feet away from them. However, before anyone can react, Lee had rushed in the middle, with both his arms at his side. "Relax Everyone!" he shouted.

A second later, Kankuro and Temari appeared with a puff of smoke on either side of their brother. "WAIT!" Kankuro shouted as he stepped beside Lee. "Were not here to fight!"

"Damn! Where did everybody go?" Naruto asked aloud to himself after walking all over Konoha. He was looking for Sakura for the past hour but with no luck. He even decided to see some of his friends, but he cant find them either. Sighing, Naruto decided to just go back to the ramen stand and eat. He'll just have to look for everyone later…

The sight that greeted him when he returned to his favorite ramen stand shocked him. Everybody he went to look for was there. Even Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were there. They were all looking rather tense and by the looks of it, Lee and Kankuro where trying desperately to calm things down.

"Well… I didn't expect to see everyone here of all places!" He said as he walked towards them with both his hands on the back of his head and a great big smile plastered on his face which made everyone present look at him.

"Naruto…?!?" most of them gasped as they recognized the blond walking towards them. They noticed every single change in his appearance, from his hair to his outfit.

Hinata was blushing like crazy by the time Naruto was in front of them. She was greatly taken aback at his sudden appearance and by the way he looks now. She thought he was cute even before he left, but now, cute was greatly an understatement. "Is that r-really N-Naruto-kun?" she asked herself.

Most of the girls present was thinking in the same lines as Hinata. And the guys too was staring at him unable to believe that this was the same Naruto they all knew. It was a couple of odd moments of just staring at Naruto when somebody decided to break the silence. Doubling up with laughter, Shikimaru pointed at Naruto. "Ha hah! So you were the one Ino and Sakura has been talking about running around town!" he said "The hot shinobi running around town! Ha-ha!" at this statement, Kiba rolled on the ground laughing hysterically while Chouji snorted some of the ramen which was still in his mouth, went flying all over the place. Even Shino and Neji could be seen fighting back their smiles. Even Gaara thought that that was funny though he wasn't showing it. Imagine a loud, irritating, and hopeless boy being ogled by women after three years? The boys just thought that it was crazy.

"What the hell is so funny?!?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head, clearly not catching up. "whatever…" he said when nobody answered him. "I was looking all around town for you guys! Why are you all here? And what are you three doing here in Konoha?" he asked as he turned to the sand Nins. It might have been rude if someone else said it but everyone knew that Naruto didn't meant what he said in a rude way.. he was Naruto after all.

"Were on official business here." Kankuro answered still between them and Gaara. "Confidential." He added

"I hope you wont start any war again." Naruto said as the tension slowly built up again.

"We wont…" Kankuro answered getting really nervous.

Then, Gaara stepped up and walked towards Naruto. "Will you fight me again…?" he asked in his usual monotone voice, ignoring the protests of Temari and Kankuro…

Notes: I'm not sure this is great and all, but, I did my best! I really hope all of you like this! Any comments, suggestions, and criticisms will be greatly appreciated! I'm not so sure about what will happen on the next chapter, but there will be fight scenes with Gaara and Naruto. I hope its fine with all of you. Again, update will be a week or so, sooner if I can manage it. Thanks for reading!!!

-bloodline41-


	3. Chapter 3: Inside the Hokage's Office

"NOT JUST ANOTHER NARUTO STORY"

by bloodline41

rated M (just to be safe)

Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Comedy, Romance, Hentai

I do not own NARUTO and ANY of its characters, places, and any other such thing. This is just purely for the enjoyment of the fans.

No Money is being made out of this.

Notes: Thanks for every reader and especially the ones who gave time to read and reviewed this story.

Chapter 3: Inside the Hokage's Office

The Hokage stood up from her desk and paced around the room in deep thought. So was Jiraiya and Shizune. "I don't doubt Naruto's strength, Jiraiya. I'm just worried about Konoha." she said as she stopped and looked out the window. "We have no control on what might happen even if we have the greatest shinobi on our side."

"…I know. But this is important. If Konoha doesn't accept the Sand's request, Gaara will fall in the hands of Akatsuki. Even if Gaara can control Shukaku's power now, but without an army backing him up, he'll lose. This all falls in Konoha's hands." Jiraiya said. "We cant let the Akatsuki gain more power that will make them more dangerous than they already are."

"But Jiraiya-sama." Shizune said. "What if we fail? What if the Akatsuki captures both Naruto and Gaara?"

"I'm not too worried about Naruto at the moment. He can handle himself against the Akatsuki, though I'm certain that he cant bring them down alone. The only way the Akatsuki can get Naruto easily is if they already have Shukaku and the all the other tailed demons. Given the fact that they don't, even laying a finger on Naruto will prove to be very difficult for them." Jiraiya has his head on his hand, his elbows on his knees, thinking. "We really need to decide this as soon as possible so we could prepare earlier if it comes to that."

Tsunade just sighed at his statement. She agreed about everything he said but she cant stop herself from worrying. She spent the last three years rebuilding Konoha and because of that, she cant bring herself to lead Konoha again to some war. "Alright… I think you right, Jiraiya…"

Moments passed in silence as both Tsunade and Jiraiya thought and planned things regarding their current state when the phone in the Hokage's desk rang which Shizune quickly answered.

"What?!?" Shizune gasped. "Tsunade-sama… Anko-san said there's something going on in the forest of death. (I think that was the name of the forest where they took the second part of the chunnin exam.) She said most of our former gennin teams are there, along with the Sand Nins!"

Naruto accepted Gaara's challenge back at the Ramen stand without any second thoughts. On the contrary, he looked glad that Gaara challenged him. He only gave two conditions though before they fought, that no civilians must be harmed and neither of them should aim to kill. To everyone's surprise, Gaara agreed and even suggested that they fight in the forest were no civilians might get hurt.

Most of them were a little exhausted for trying to catch up with Naruto and Gaara on their way to the forest of death. The only ones that was able to even match the pace they were in was Lee and Kiba, which was the fastest in the group. But only by putting great effort on it. The rest however was a little left behind but was still able to follow. Being jounins and chuunins, they thought that they should be there if something gets out of hand. They even tried to stop Naruto but stubborn as he was, he just smiled at them and said that he can handle it.

When the last group arrived in a huge clearing in the forest, they found Naruto and Gaara facing each other. They were both just standing there with blank expressions on their faces as if they were just waiting for the right moment to strike, until Naruto smiled. "Ive always hoped that I can fight you when you've cleared your head about every bullshit you believed in before."

Gaara just stared at him and a slight smile appeared on his face. He didn't speak however but rather began his chain of had seals and within moments, the gourd on his back began to release sand that swirled around him. Naruto on the other hand was still standing there without performing any jutsus whatsoever, which made his comrades a bit worried.

"W-Why doesn't Naruto-kun do something!" Hinata said nervously as they watched the two from the branch of a tree at the edge of the clearing.

All of them were watching intently as Gaara's sand began to swirl faster and faster around him as if he was shielded by a tornado. Naruto was still smiling but in an instant, they saw him rushing toward the swirling wall of sand and chakra as he performed his trademark technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he said as approximately a hundred Naruto clones appeared everywhere, all charging towards Gaara. Expecting Naruto to use that technique, Gaara performed a few more hand seals and shots of sand burst out all over his tornado-like shield and annihilated most of the Naruto clones. Gaara then concentrated more of his chakra on the sand tornado surrounding him making it faster and more powerful, virtually impossible to penetrate from the outside. When the rest of the Naruto clones charged again, Gaara obliterated them with the same techniques he used earlier, missing one. Naruto had leapt high above the tornado giving him a clear shot at its center where Gaara was, who was looking up at him, a rare smile on his face. Clearly, he enjoyed fighting Naruto this time, as rivals… as friends.

Naruto threw several kunai downwards inside the tornado which Gaara avoided easily before the sand nin made the tornado of sand higher and faster. With this, Naruto was thrown away with such force coming from the spinning wall of sand and chakra. But even before Naruto landed anywhere, there was a bright flash of yellow light that came from the place where Naruto was and inside Gaara's shield of swirling sand. It was very fast that all of them that were watching the fight didn't knew what happened. A quarter of a second after the flash, Gaara felt something hard connect on his stomach, driving him straight towards the inner wall of his tornado and through it. Gaara looked at where he was just moments before and saw Naruto standing there, holding one of the kunai he threw earlier.

"…I think I heard about that technique before…" Kiba said as they watched the fight.

"...My father told me about that technique before…its the Fourth's signature technique… Shunshin no Jutsu" answered Shino. Most of them were gaping at Naruto. Not only was that an extremely advanced technique, but it was also known that only the fourth can perform it.

Naruto charged again towards Gaara which was now performing a series of hand seals. When Naruto was just a few feet away from the sand nin, hundreds of solid balls of sand and chakra rose around Gaara and shot towards the yellow haired nin. Seeing this, Naruto quickly stopped and leapt back, not taking his eyes of the oncoming balls of sand exclusively bent on bringing him pain. As he leapt back, he drew all of the shuriken in his first holster and threw all of it in front of him before he performed the seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. With a "poof!" and smoke, the shurikens he threw greatly multiplied to match the balls of sand. With that, every single ball of sand was stopped by the shuriken, hitting each one with such accuracy that made Ten-ten, the weapons master, stare in shock.

"How the hell did he do that? That was supposed to be… impossible." she thought.

By this time, both Naruto and Gaara was enjoying the match so much that they were having a hard time to restrict themselves.

"I really didn't expect that it'll be this much fun to fight you…" Naruto said with his genuine smile on his face. Earning him the same smile from his opponent. They just stared at each other for a couple of moments before everyone who was watching felt the increasing power and chakra radiating from the two. But even before the battle can resume, two figures landed in the middle of Naruto and Gaara.

"What the hell do you think your doing!" Tsunade shouted at a now really nervous looking Naruto.

"Ah….. Nice to see you again Tsunade baa-chan!" he said with a boyish smile on his face and both his hands on the back of his head while he took a couple of steps backward as Tsunade started walking threateningly towards him.

Jiraiya, who was the other person that stopped the bout, was looking at Gaara. "Hey! Sorry for ruining your little reunion party kid." The sannin said to the expressionless Gaara. "But we really cant afford this place to be ruined right now."

By this time, Shizune and Anko had arrived and was greatly surprised when they both saw Naruto and how hot he looked now. Also, the gang who were watching the match came down where Naruto and Gaara where fighting just moments before.

"Everyone is to return to Konoha and head straight to my office." The Hokage said. "And no.. exceptions." She added putting emphasis to Naruto who was steadily backing away from the scene sensing a great deal of Tsunade's wrath about to explode.

Things were getting a little tense back at the Hokage's office. She didn't look quite furious now for she had a chance to calm down a little. Trust Naruto to cause such a ruckus in just a day of his return was the things the Hokage thought. She knew that Naruto nor any other Nin present for that matter didn't know how serious the fight could affect the state of Konoha right at this moment.

"All of you clearly have no idea how much trouble we might have been in if that fight continued." The Hokage said clearly to group of Nins in her office. "Though I don't blame any of you. It is just because of the decision I made earlier today, when we were on the way towards the forest." She continued. "And this decision is regarding the Sand's request.". Turning to the sand Nins present, she continued " I have decide to accept the request and from now, until this problem is solved, you three are under Konoha's command. A Konoha forehead protector will be given to you later so other Konoha Nins wont mistake for hostile forces, though you are still permitted to wear your old protectors."

Tsunade then began to brief the two Jounins and the rest of the chuunins present about the sands request and current situation. "Which brings me back to why your fight earlier could have led to a serious disaster." She said to a guilty looking Naruto and a still expressionless Gaara. "If we haven't stopped you earlier, you would have no doubt destroyed the major part of the forest, if not all of it. As all of you know, that forest is the second part of the chunnin exams. And if a great portion of it gets destroyed, we will be forced to let our gennins wait for another Ninja village to host an exam. And we cannot afford to waste time in that. If we are to succeed defending Konoha, we have to boost our forces as much as we can and as fast as possible." The Hokage said seriously.

"Ha! Don't worry Tsunade baa-chan!" Naruto suddenly said breaking the stiff atmosphere in the room. "I can handle anything they throw at us!" he said as he crossed his arms in a cocky way, smiling that boyish smile of his which made some of the girls, and women, looking at him blush.

Tsunade just smiled at him. She had indeed missed him. Irritating as he was, Naruto was still Naruto, and she considered him as her son. Shifting back to her serious manner, she continued. "As I was saying, we need to boost our forces as fast as we can. Therefore, our new Gennins must be trained and be promoted to chunnins earlier. And because most of our current high ranking Jounins are on a mission, we need the best chuunins we currently have to be promoted to Jounins" she addressed the chuunins present. All of Konoha's twelve except for Shikimaru and Naruto took the Chuunin exam again a year after Naruto left. Naruto on the other hand participated in an exam a few months after they left, which was held in the hidden village of cloud. Naruto participated in the exam, with a permission from the judges, without teammates.

Chuunins (In this fiction) are promoted to Jounins if they have accomplished ten class-b missions and upon accomplishing the last one, they are then tested by their former Jounin instructors if they are ready for the said promotion. Those tests may range from just simple questions to fighting the jounins themselves. Shikimaru and Neji was promoted just four weeks ago, and all of the chuunins present has just one more mission left to complete the requirements needed for them to take their Jounin-sensei's tests.

"So… I order every Chuunin here to prepare themselves." The fifth Hokage said. "I will assign your mission two days from now. I believe that time is adequate for you to prepare, and in your case" she turned to Naruto, "rest… not that I think you need it." She said smiling to Naruto.

Notes: I think that's it for now… I really do hope people wont get bored with this. As always… reviews will be greatly appreciated. I really need to know what people think about this. Please?

Update will be in a week or so…

Well… thanks for reading…

-bloodline41-


	4. Chapter 4: Akatsuki and Orochimaru

"**NOT JUST ANOTHER NARUTO STORY"**

by bloodline41

rated M (just to be safe)

Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Comedy, Romance, Hentai

**I do not own NARUTO and ANY of its characters, places, and any other such thing. This is just purely for the enjoyment of the fans.**

**No Money is being made out of this.**

_Notes:_ _thanks for all the people reviewed my fic. Thanks. And I would like to take this time to explain Naruto's level of strength. In chapter one, it was told that Naruto occasionally sparred with Jiraiya and often times he would win. So, we can say that Naruto is at least a sannin level ninja. Maybe as strong as Jiraiya when the sannin was in his prime. Also, I started this fic quite some time ago and I said that most of the Akatsuki will be OCs, but I took some time to research about the other ones … the only problem I have right now is that they're really out of character. If there's anyone who can tell me about their personality and background, I'll be really thankful. With that said, on to the story._

Chapter 4: Akatsuki and Orochimaru

Ten cloaked figure are gathered inside a cave found on a face of a cliff. All of them are wearing the same black cloaks with red clouds adorning it.

"What the HELL where you thinking?!?" A blue skinned guy that greatly resembled a shark pounded the table with his fist and demanded at the man at the end of the table the where the group was gathered.

"… Fooling three lower class S missing Nins to believe they are to be Akatsuki members… with high ranking positions…" said another which had the famous Sharingan. "Would you care to explain?" he added in almost a whisper.

And another one, a man wearing a spiral mask stood up. He was also wearing the Akatsuki cloak but he's the only one without a ring. "My apologies" he said to the leader while bowing "…but I think doing that might damage your reputation and people might start believing that the Akatsuki is weak." He said in a polite manner as he bowed again before sitting down.

Everyone turned their attention to the man at the end of the table. Clearly, his decision and actions were not supported by his comrades. But it looked as if he didn't even here anything they said. He was looking straight into space with a crazy smile on his face… "let them think what they want…" he said. "gauging HIS level is more important."

Clashes of steel can be heard inside Orochimaru's dungeon where you'll find the said sannin looking down in his arena where his precious Uchiha was currently slaughtering wanted ninjas that he gathered.

Sasuke, now finished with the massacre, sheathed his katana hotly and looked up at Orochimaru with a frown. You told me you'd give me opponents worthy of my time." He said angrily at the sannin. "you just gave me garbage!"

Orochimaru just looked down at him at him with an amused smile on his face. "I can have you killing high ranking officers of the sound Sasuke-kun" he mused while shaking his head in act as if he was offended by Sasuke. "It wouldn't do any good to my force."

Sasuke balled his hands into fists as he continued to stare up at Orochimaru. "I would and will kill anyone for me to gain power…" the Uchiha replied as he jumped up and landed at the sannins left side. "Including everyone in this forsaken place… including you…". Sasuke the most feared sound nin with the exception of the snake sannin himself, stared straight into Orochimaru's eyes before turning his back on him leaving the sannin alone.

"As confident as always Sasuke-kun" Orochimaru whispered to himself with a crazy smile on his face…

Two days has already passed since Narutos return and well, life in the leaf finally returned to normal. Tsunade was having her usual Naruto bashing for the past couple of days when our resident prankster comes to her office to piss her off. And Sakura must drag Narutos heap of joints and limbs of a body every time. And sometimes even adds some more of her own brand of Naruto bashing when Naruto acts like, well, Naruto. Sakura then realized that even though he's changed a lot, he's still the same. And even though she's starting to be attracted to him in a way shed never ever thought possible, and she wont admit it even in death , wasn't enough reason for her to give him his punishments she deems necessary. Good thing Naruto one though guy… Sakura could have really killed him if it wasn't for Kyuubi.

Most of the girls that were following Naruto around now knew who he was not in the least put off though. And even some of the women that were old enough to know about Narutos "condition" was so into him that they don't even seem to care even if it was the death god himself was sealed in him.

The training grounds was almost always occupied for the past two days with most of the rookie nine, along with Ten-ten and Lee training for their upcoming mission. But not only was it crowded by training nin but also by civilians and other shinobi who came to watch when sparring from the said Nins caused various explosions of varying intensities was heard.

Kankuro and Temari on the other hand was sent to Suna by Tsunade to have their head Jounin sign the papers regarding their temporary transfer to Konoha. The Hokage also sent Neji and a very reluctant Shikimaru with them. After the events in the training grounds between Shikimaru and tamari, well, lets just say that they're pretending the pother one doesn't exist. But stolen glances when the other one wasn't looking hasn't gone unnoticed by the Hyuuga prodigy they're traveling with.

Being ordered by Tsunade to stay behind so as not to take the risk of an Akatsuki attack, Gaara has taken to spending his time looking at the monument of the previous and current Hokages. Though sometimes, he can be seen walking along side Lee in deadly silence as the green beast of Konoha talked to him animatedly.

It was early on the third day since Naruto's return when the Hokage summoned the whole gang to her office for their mission briefing.

Notes: I know this is quite pointless but I just cant seem to get rid of my writers block… Anyway, chap four will most definitely be their mission. Thanks for reading. Reviews, comments, criticisms, flames, and even death threats are welcome…


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